Sandy Hook in Middletown Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Rodman Gun
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
1. Rodman Gun Marker
Developed in the Civil War era, this type of 20-inch gun gave the U.S. the largest muzzle-loading cannon ever made. At the same time, however, rifled guns were being developed which made all smoothbore cannon obsolete.
With spin from spiral grooves inside the barrel, pointed projectiles from rifled cannon could travel farther and with greater accuracy than cannonballs from smoothbore weapons. During the Civil War, rifled artillery easily penetrated the thick masonry walls of several coastal forts, which influenced the Army to abandon construction of a masonry fort on Sandy Hook.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location. 40° 27.917′ N, 74° 0.338′ W. Marker is in Middletown Township, New Jersey, in Monmouth County. It is in Sandy Hook. Marker is on Gateway NRA road, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in Fort Hancock Historic District in the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Highlands NJ 07732, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Mule Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Fire House Number 1 (within shouting distance of this marker); Post Chapel
this page online
More about this marker. The left side of the marker contains a picture of a firing Rodman Gun. The right top of the marker features a portrait of Major General Thomas J. Rodman. Below this is a picture of an exploding cannon, with a caption of “A large gun burst near Lieutenant Thomas Rodman in 1844. Afterwards the ordnance officer committed himself to improving the technology of cannon manufacture, and invented the casting process that made possible this one piece, 115,100-pound smoothbore barrel.”
Also see . . .
1. 20 Inch Rodman Gun. Civil War Wiki entry (Submitted on March 8, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Sandy Hook Proving Ground. National Park Service, Gateway National Recreation Area website
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
2. Rodman Gun at Sandy Hook
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
3. Marker in Fort Hancock Historic District
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
4. Rodman Gun
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, September 20, 2009
5. Closeup of Rodman Gun
This cannon was produced at Fort Pitt Foundry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1869. Weighing, as the marker states 115,100 pounds, it was among the heaviest muzzle-loading weapons ever produced. It bears the registry number "2." The only other weapon of it's type produced is on display at Fort Hamilton, New York.
Internet Archive
6. Major Thomas J. Rodman
from Harper's Weekly Vol. VIII, No. 412, Saturday, November 19, 1864.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, April 24, 2010
7. 20-inch Rodman Gun
This Rodman Gun is found near Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn, NY.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 2,065 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on March 9, 2021, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 6. submitted on April 7, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7. submitted on April 24, 2010, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
